Money Web

03/01/21 A short story: Money Web By: Renuka Brown

Aria froze, standing beside the bathtub on the bathroom soft rug. Tears poured down her cold face, and her chin quivered. “Why is this happening to us?” She said out loud in dismay. She felt another contraction like pain flow from beneath her. She shut her dark brown eyes and leaned her head back toward the ceiling. “Tyson!” Meanwhile Aria’s husband Tyson was scrummaging in the living room looking for a phone to call his wife’s doctor. He couldn’t believe it was happening. He didn’t want to believe it was happening…, but it was. Aria suddenly felt a pop inside of her and knew the baby was coming. She stood in horror and lifted her pink colored long skirt up and felt the fetus slide right out. The fetus dropped making a squishy sound as it hit the bathroom rug. It was a baby like form about 8 weeks, along with what seemed of remains of the placenta. Her vision became blurry as she was flooded with more tears. Aria opened her mouth and wept. “NOOOOOOO!!” She dropped down next to her baby and put her hands over her face crying at the sight of horror. She could hear Tyson run to the bathroom. He had his phone in his hand and looked in panic. ”Baby?... What happened?” But when he saw the fetus baby on the floor he dropped his phone. Tears formed his eyes. “Oh God. Aria….. I’m so sorry.” Tyson walked slowly over to his wife and hugged her. They both lay there on the floor holding each other mourning over their lost baby. The next few minutes of that night felt like a long nightmare that didn’t seem to end… Aria wiped away tears from her face and sniffled. Stop thinking about it. The miscarriage happened two months ago. She ran her hand through her long black wavy hair. She gazed up at the sun blasting her it’s rays. It was a hot summer day, and Aria had decided to go for a walk that day . She walked around a rich Allotment near her house every Friday for her routine exercise. Aria walked along the sidewalk and came near a big brick house to her left. It was her favorite house on the block. It had a beautiful front yard with a blossom tree right in the center. The flowerbed in front of the house was perfectly mulched with flowers over flowing all around the front of the house. She saw a lady about mid- forties standing by her mailbox. She had shoulder length brown curly hair and, tan skin and was around average height. She wore a yellow button dress with white sandals. Aria wondered what it was like to be as rich as the lady, and having a nice big house. There was a Lexus RX White car parked in their driveway and a Black Ford King Ranch parked in their garage. Aria walked slowly watching the woman. Suddenly two young boys came by on their bikes and started spraying what looked like silly string at the lady. Aria gasped, shocked by what just happened. The one boy laughed while the other boy kept spraying at the lady’s face. “Ha ha!” They both laughed. The lady shrieked and looked upset, trying to cover her face. “Knock it off you troublemakers!” Aria ran over to the boys and shooed for them to go away. “Leave her alone or I will tell your parents, and I know where you guys live too!” They two boys looked at each other in fear and took off on their bikes. Aria gazed at the lady. ”Are you okay?” The lady frowned while picking at her face and hair all the silly string out. She sighed. “Ohh… I’m okay I guess. Thank you for making them leave.. “ She looked over the street. “I don’t know what on earth got into those kids.” Aria smiled friendly to the lady. “Well hopefully they wont bother you again.” The lady stared at Aria. She had bright brown eyes and red lipstick on. She reached out her right hand. ”I’m Katelyn by the way. But you can call me Kate. Might I ask your name sweetie?” Aria met her hand with her own and smiled at Kate. “I’m Aria. It’s nice to meet you. I live nearby actually. I just like to walk this block. ”Kate laughed. “I see Aria. Would you like to come inside for some iced tea? I want to thank you for helping me with those kids.” Aria turned to Kate who gave her a soft smile. “ Sure.” With another big smile Kate gestured Aria to the front yard and up to the front white door. Kate opened it allowing Aria to walk inside first. Inside it was big and spacious with lots of furniture, floor rugs, and a big screen tv displayed on the wall in the center of the room. “Please have a seat while I bring the Tea.” Aria walked over to the white cushioned sofa. She sighed softly feeling really comfortable. Aria watched Kate walk over to the kitchen area across the room. There was a gourmet kitchen with marble countertops and a kitchen island. Aria waited patiently until Kate arrived with a tray of two Iced teas. “Thank you so much.” She grabbed the glass of iced tea and took a sip and set it on the coffee table in front of her.Kate smiled at her and sat across her in a single sofa chair crossing her legs. Kate sipped her tea watching Aria carefully. “So… Aria. What do you do?. Do you work around this town?” Aria looked down at the floor feeling embarrassed. She cleared her throat. “I just recently went back to work actually.” Kate set her tea down next to her on a small table stand. She glared at Aria with suspicious eyes. “May I ask what happened .. you seem down about something. I’m sorry if I seemed to have offended you in any way.” Aria looked up at Kate and waved her hand in an over gesture “No no. Your fine.. My husband and I recently had a miscarriage about two months ago, although it feels like yesterday.” Aria watched Kate’s face fill with sadness. ”Oh my goodness dear… I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to stir up anything..” Aria’s eyes suddenly filled with tears and it all came rushing out. She started telling Kate everything. About how her husband and her have been trying for 4 years. Failed attempts with the help of medications, and IuI treatments. All the infertility doctor visits, and bills. The rollercoaster emotions. Everything. Aria didn’t know why she was telling this random stranger her personnel life. But it felt good to tell another woman. For someone to listen and to not hold it inside anymore. Kate’s face looked sad and upset as she listened to all the details about Aria’s battle of pregnancy. When Aria was finished, Kate stood up, fixed her dress and walked over to Aria and sat down next to her . She reached out for her hands. Aria allowed for Kate to hold her hands. Kate gazed into Aria’s eyes with a hurt expression. “What you have gone through… is terrible. No woman should have to go through this in life. I have one child. A son who lives in California with his wife and two kids and I struggled getting pregnant with him. I understand your pain and frustration.” Aria wiped her nose and nodded her head. “I’m sorry to burden you with this.. It just came out..” A tear fell down Aria’s cheek and Kate leaned over and gave her a heart warming hug. Aria let her hug her and closed her eyes. They sat there and hugged for a good minute or so. Finally Kate sat back up and smiled at her. “What do you want in life…More than anything?” Aria stared into Kate’s eyes sadly. “I want a family.. I want an IVF procedure that has a high chance of getting pregnant..” Kate glared into her eyes with a strange look on her face. “What if I could help you and your husband Aria?” Hearing those words made Aria confused but curious. “But.. I mean.. How?” “What if I gave you the money for the IVF treatment. You seem like a nice girl who needs a break in life.. I can help.” Kate stood up and walked over to a large window that overlooked the neighbors house and yard. “I have heard of IVF. I know it can cost at least 15 thousand dollars nearly almost up to 20 thousand…” Aria gazed at Kate sitting further back into the sofa. It was the only thing reassuring her she was not dreaming. Kate turned around to look at Aria. “I happen to have twenty thousand dollars in cash… in a safe place of course.. But I would need a favor in return if I were to give you this money.” Aria’s eyes widened. Her lips felt dry and she inhaled deeply fro a second. “Are you being serious?” Kate wrinkled her nose and smiled at Aria. “Yes Aria. My husband owns a lot in real estate and we have a few investments that make us very wealthy. We chose to live here cause of his parent’s health. But… like I said, I would need a favor in return. But you have to be willing in order to receive the money.” Aria stood up and walked over to Kate. They both stared at each other for a second in silence. The sun rays hit through the window and shined down at them. Aria opened her mouth and spoke. ”What do I have to do?” Later that day Aria was at home awaiting her husband to get home from work. She felt nervous and exited all at once. She sat at the edge of her their bed staring at the floor. She could feel her stomach churn. Suddenly she heard the front door open and shut. Her husband, Tyson walked inside and greeted her. He set his lunchbox near the bedroom door and walked over and sat next to his wife on the bed. He could tell she looked nervous and asked her if she was okay. Aria took a deep breath and explained to him about her day and how she talked with Kate about her pregnancy story. Her husband listened gazing at her. Aria then stood up and took a deep breath again. “She wants to help us with getting pregnant ..” Tyson frowned at his wife. ”Help us ..how?” “Don’t freak out… But she said she will give us … twenty thousand dollars for IVF treatment…. If we ………………..kill her husband.” At first Aria’s husband just glared at her. Then his lips curled up and he started laughing. ”Haha!!!.” “Oh man hahaha…. Okay you got me. But really honey making up looney stories isn’t healthy babe.” But Aria didn’t smile or laugh. She looked stern at her husband. He could tell she wasn’t joking and stood up slowly. Tyson stared at his wife in disbelief. “Babe… Your serious?..... Aren’t you ?” Aria slowly looked at the ground . She couldn’t bear to look into Tyson’s eyes . “Yes…” A moment of silence broke through. “ARE YOU CRAZY?!! THIS LADY SOUNDS LIKE SHE LYING TO YOU BABE!!” ………… Aria started crying and shrieking. ”NO SHES NOT DAMN IT!!” “I want a baby! Don’t you think we deserve this after all that we have been through?” “This is no joke..” Aria wiped her running nose . She couldn’t stand anymore, so she sat on the bed. “Her husband is having an affair … She wants him gone.. She even said she would make it look like an accident . All we have to do is show up tonight and sneak in and stab him. There are no cameras there I checked. She said she’ll leave the doors unlocked and we just sneak upstairs and stab him. She will be sleeping in a different room, and once were done she will slip the envelope in the room with the money inside for us and we leave. She takes care of the rest.” Tyson just stared in disbelief as his wife spoke. But he could tell she wasn’t making it up. Aria gazed at her husband. “If you truly want a family.. you’ll help me do this.. besides were getting rid of a pig in the world . Your either with me or I’m going solo. But she recommended for both of us to do this.” Tyson shook his head and stared past his wife to a wall with a picture of an ultrasound of their 8 week old baby before they found out their baby was not going to make it. He suddenly thought of all the years of heartbreak he and his wife had to endure.. Was this real? He suddenly looked at his wife hard in the eyes with a tear trickling down his face. “Let’s do this.” That night later on Aria and her husband walked quietly to the Allotment where the house was. It was dark outside but they could see slightly from the almost full moon lit up in the night sky. They finally made their way to the house and ran quietly to the back door of the houses in the backyard. Aria reached over to open the door while her husband watched looking terrified. The door opened quietly and they both walked inside. They gazed around the house trying to locate the stairs. The house had mini night lights making it easier for them to see. Aria realized they were in a hallway entrance that led to the staircase by the living room and front door. She put a finger to he lips urging him to stay quite going up the stairs. They slowly made their way up the staircase until they reached the top. They looked over to the left hallway. Aria pointed in the direction to their left stating that’s where Kate’s Husband was sleeping. It was the last room at the end of the hallway. Aria could feel butterfly’s n her stomach again but tried to ignore them. She grabbed Tyson’s hand, as they crept quietly toward the very end of the hallway. The door was cracked open slightly. Aria gulped and peeked through the crack, shaking. Her whole body was shaking and she felt like she was going to puke. Tyson peeked through the crack as well. They both could see a big king sized bed and Kate’s husband sleeping sound asleep. Aria took a deep breath and slowly opened the bedroom door wider just enough for them to walk inside. She paused, Tyson looking at her with his eyes wide open scared. She nudged for him to walk inside . Tyson walked in with Aria and they both looked around. The room was big with nice dressers and two huge windows on the wall to their right. It overlooked some houses in the area. Aria walked quietly over to Kate’s Husband. Tyson walked over to the other side. Aria gazed at Tyson scared. She nodded her head in code, and watched Tyson slip out a large sharp kitchen knife hidden from his person. He gently handed the knife to his wife , his hand shaking. Aria grabbed the knife and felt her husbands cold clammy hand. They both watched at Kate’s husband. He was sleeping and snoring. His hair was matted and sweaty looking. He had a pointy nose and a beard stubble around his face. Aria clenched the knife in her hand and pointed the knife at the guy’s heart. ……She looked at her husband one last time. He kept his gaze at the man sleeping away. Aria decided to count to three. One………… Two………………………. Three………… She plunged the knife hard into the man’s chest where his heart was. The man’s eyes shot open with a horror look on his face. He sputtered and choked trying to speak.. The man’s eyes gazed at Aria’s and then her husband’s face. Aria closed her eyes and pushed the knife deeper into his heart. Aria’s husband shut his eyes too. He was shaking. Aria plunged the knife again into the man’s chest. The man started chocking up blood and his body shook and slowly started moving less. His body eventually stopped moving and his eyes stared at the ceiling wide open. Aria felt tears drip down her face. The man finally was dead, and she and her husband just stood there for a second. They both made sure the man was dead and Aria handed Tyson back the knife. They made sure not to touch anything else in the room and walked by the door. Tyson stepped outside of the bedroom. Right before Aria walked out of the room, she noticed a little black book sitting by one of the dressers near the window. It made her think of the book she bought for when she found out she was pregnant. A children’s book with a artsy book cover. She felt a tear form in her eye and just wiped it off and stepped out of the bedroom. A yellow envelope greeted them in the hallway . They closed the bedroom door behind them and walked over to the envelope. Aria reached inside and pulled out twenty bands of cash . Aria counted it out and gazed at her husband, her eyes went wide in shock. Twenty thousand dollars. Later on that month Aria and Tyson made sure they layed low for a while and then got up the courage to pay their doctor for the IVF treatment in full. The cash was legit luckily, and they were both excited to know that they could start the procedure soon. They didn’t hear any news about any murders of their hometown at all. With every passing day they felt more hopeful and relaxed. They had gotten rid of the knife, and tried not to think about what they had done. Aria started doing the medicine injection shots on her stomach. They got closer to the egg retrieval process. Aria could feel excitement knowing they were getting closer to the big day. Aria’s doctor started collecting the follicular fluid in a test tube and transferring it to the embryo lab. Aria knew they were getting closer and closer. As days progressed they tried to live their life normally to cancel out any stress. Aria and her husband stayed busy with the IVF treatment and made it to the embryo transfer. So many emotions flowed through aria’s mind that day, and she was exhausted. Twelve days later had finally come and they had a blood test done. It was a Sunday and Aria was sitting on the couch along side with her husband. He was reading a magazine while she was reading a pregnancy related book. Suddenly Aria’s Phone rang. She glanced at her husband and her eyes went wide. She smiled and answered the phone. It had been a long month and this was the day they found out their results. “Hello?” “Hi Aria! This is Doctor Gourde. We just got back your blood test results Aria………………………. Congratulations you are pregnant!” When Aria heard those words she started crying. She looked at her Tyson and nodded her head. Her husband shouted with excitement and hugged his wife. “Thank you so much! Oh my goodness!” Aria got done talking to the doctor and hung up the phone. “AAAAAGGHHH!!!” She and her husband hugged and started jumping around laughing. Aria never felt so happy in her life. They finally did it. Their sudden joy came to a stop by a loud knock on the door. KNOCK KNOCK!. Tyson looked over at the door.” Did you invite anyone Aria?” She shook her head in confusion. She watched her husband walk over to their door and open it. She hovered behind him. Outside was a police officer with a zip lock bag in his hand. “Excuse me sir, mam, I’m Police officer Tom Lone.” The police officer lifted the bag up. Inside Aria recognized the small black book she saw in Kate’s Husbands room. Next to the book was a small tape. Aria’s eyes widened in horror realizing what it was. It had a secret camera hidden inside it. “Aria Fin? Tyson Fin?. You are both under arrest for the murder of Kate Wayne’s Husbands murder. The End